The present invention relates to a multilayer, edge-sealed record carrier with a laminated, printed paper inlet.
A number of different identification cards are known each of which has its advantages and disadvantages and more or less fulfills the requirements to be met. For example, there are all-plastic cards and multilayer plastic cards without a paper inlet and with a printed pattern on the film surface which are very resistant to moisture, dirt, and the like, but are not suited for all purposes because of their simple structure. In particular, such cards are easy to counterfeit, so they appear unserviceable if they represent values.
There are also paper-laminated cards without an edge seal in which the printed matter is imposed on the paper inlet (U.S. Pat. No. 3,533,176). These cards provide better protection against forgery because of the laminated paper inlet. Since the film edge is flush with the edge of the paper inlet, the printed matter is automatically accurately positioned relative to the card edge. However, such paper-laminated cards without an edge seal have the disadvantage that, after long use or with intent to defraud, delamination is possible at the edge, and that moisture and dirt may penetrate at the edge of the card.
For this reason, paper-laminated, edge-sealed cards have been proposed which have a transparent or colored film edge but are not printed in the sealed area (U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,998). These cards offer only limited protection against forgery, but because of the edge seal, they are resistant to moisture and dirt. Since, however, the edges of the card are not printed, the edge seal can be easily removed and renewed with intent to defraud. As these cards are usually manufactured with so-called film pockets into which the paper inlet is inserted and which is finally sealed, the positioning of the print with respect to the card edge is extremely difficult. Furthermore, the design of these cards is of inferior quality.